First 10 games: Predict the Jazz's Record

[HermanG]

If your choices are a) compete hard and end up outside the playoffs, or b) compete hard, make a trade or two, end up outside the playoffs, but add a top 8-10 pick, your better option is b).

If the Jazz are genuinely in the playoff picture at mid-season, they'll probably push ahead and try to make the post-season. If they're not though...

You could speculate a number of mid-to-late season scenarios where we end up tanking that are fair. Thats not the problem with your mindset though.

Problem is indicating that tanking should be the starting point.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

Also it's funny how everyone is like "People arent underestimating us this year", yeah, they kind of are. We arent the Thunder who has every national pundit giving them sloppy toppy.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

Also it's funny how everyone is like "People arent underestimating us this year", yeah, they kind of are. We arent the Thunder who has every national pundit giving them sloppy toppy.

Its not as egregious as it was last year though. We were thought of as a surefire bottom 4-5 team. Some on this site even said to rest easy as we would be terrible.

I think with solid health we end up 9th or 10th. Folks are really high on OKC and maybe a bit ahead of themselves. I think NOP and Memphis could end up being the surprise out of the play-in teams. Memphis missing 164 games from Clarke/Adams and 25 games of Ja BEFORE the season starts is just massive. JJJ likely misses 10-15 games at some point. Ja misses 15+ games every year... so I'd say you plan on him missing like 30-35 in total with the suspension. Smart misses 10-20 games every year too. If Bane misses 6 games like he did his 2nd season they may be fine... He missed 24 last year and if that repeats, I think they are sunk.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

Its not as egregious as it was last year though. We were thought of as a surefire bottom 4-5 team. Some on this site even said to rest easy as we would be terrible.

I think with solid health we end up 9th or 10th. Folks are really high on OKC and maybe a bit ahead of themselves. I think NOP and Memphis could end up being the surprise out of the play-in teams. Memphis missing 164 games from Clarke/Adams and 25 games of Ja BEFORE the season starts is just massive. JJJ likely misses 10-15 games at some point. Ja misses 15+ games every year... so I'd say you plan on him missing like 30-35 in total with the suspension. Smart misses 10-20 games every year too. If Bane misses 6 games like he did his 2nd season they may be fine... He missed 24 last year and if that repeats, I think they are sunk.

Zach Lowe said we are on the same level as the Rockets/Blazers on the JJ Redick pod.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

Zach Lowe said we are on the same level as the Rockets/Blazers on the JJ Redick pod.

Yeah FOH with that Zach... I love him but thats some BS.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

Zach Lowe said we are on the same level as the Rockets/Blazers on the JJ Redick pod.

Yeah FOH with that Zach... I love him but thats some BS.

And Zach watches a lot... but he didn't watch Hardy make chicken salad out of chicken **** constantly. If we play it straight and get good health then 40 wins is what I'd guess.

FVV and Brooks are nice additions but adding those two specifically to a team with shooting issues???? Yeah the math will end up getting them.

 

[Ferguson_Mellochill]

My guess is that we're heading for a stealth tanking season, and it's all in accordance with Danny's master plan. And that's certainly a path you can take. But as I said... why try to tank with Lauri? He's just complicating things. You can't have your cake and eat it too. If you want to bottom out, then bottom out. Trade the guy for a king's ransom of young blue chip talent who shares the timeline of our rooks and sophomores.

(To clarify: I'm a fanatical anti-tanker. Hate the idea. But this stuff just doesn't make any sense.)

Kelly Olynyk's contract is expiring, and he was in trade rumors over the summer. He's someone the Jazz may look to move at mid-season unless the team is doing surprisingly well. Jordan Clarkson's contract with a big payout this season, declining after that, is a very trade-friendly contract. There are some rumblings that the Jazz are open to trading him. Colin Sexton was probably acquired as a reclamation project, and he too was in trade rumors last summer. THT has been in trade rumors as recently as pre-season. He's expiring and could be moved during the season.

If the Jazz decide they want to pull the red handle like they did last year, you could see 3 or 4 guys moved out at the trade deadline. They're in position to do it, and I'm pretty sure that's not a coincidence. I do think the Jazz are being opportunistic with trades though and not just looking to outright tank.

Last year's trade involving Mike Conley, Jared Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley to acquire a lightly protected Lakers pick in 2027 was a pretty obvious tank move though.

 

[KqWIN]

There’s no such thing as a stealth tank. That’s just major cope for failed expectations. If the Jazz were seat set on making the playoffs this year they should have have come with a better roster. Maybe they have high internal expectations, but I think 50/50 is a fair but still optimistic look at our chances.

 

[Ferguson_Mellochill]

Zach Lowe said we are on the same level as the Rockets/Blazers on the JJ Redick pod.

I think the Jazz are on par with Dallas and just a half step behind Sacramento. If the Jazz can solve their PG situation, they become a viable team.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

And Zach watches a lot... but he didn't watch Hardy make chicken salad out of chicken **** constantly. If we play it straight and get good health then 40 wins is what I'd guess.

FVV and Brooks are nice additions but adding those two specifically to a team with shooting issues???? Yeah the math will end up getting them.

Basically everyone improved and Utah really didnt, doesnt believe in the guard lineup at all.

Lauri doesnt get enough love from pundits for being able to carry a team.

 

[SoberasHotRod]

Also it's funny how everyone is like "People arent underestimating us this year", yeah, they kind of are. We arent the Thunder who has every national pundit giving them sloppy toppy.

It doesn't matter what national media think it's the mindset of the teams we are playing. Also, I it's less that they will underestimate us, but more that they have a much better idea of what to expect from us.

 

[Ron Mexico]

It doesn't matter what national media think it's the mindset of the teams we are playing. Also, I it's less that they will underestimate us, but more that they have a much better idea of what to expect from us.

That didn't work out as the season went on though last year for other teams though. We had to beg to lose towards the end of the season.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

It doesn't matter what national media think it's the mindset of the teams we are playing. Also, I it's less that they will underestimate us, but more that they have a much better idea of what to expect from us.

What pundits think is a fairly good barometer. The Jazz are getting overlooked.

 

[HermanG]

People are thinking standings as if they are some power rankings.

West is gonna be so packed that any team that can reach 10th can also reach 6th. Those seeds could be just 3 wins apart at the end of the day.

And the same works the other way around, so all teams who are projected to be in the middle can easily end up even outside of play in because they lose a few key head to head games they shouldnt.

 

[Ron Mexico]

People are thinking standings as if they are some power rankings.

West is gonna be so packed that any team that can reach 10th can also reach 6th. Those seeds could be just 3 wins apart at the end of the day.

And the same works the other way around, so all teams who are projected to be in the middle can easily end up even outside of play in because they lose a few key head to head games they shouldnt.

Which is a strength of Utah. They have depth that keeps them more even throughout the season. Besides the one I can't name we can lose a player or two and be fine. Others teams can't. Teams will drop hard with injuries this year in the West.

To be fair I would rather consolidate and upgrade but it's a reason we will stay in the playoffs picture.

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

Basically everyone improved and Utah really didnt, doesnt believe in the guard lineup at all.

Lauri doesnt get enough love from pundits for being able to carry a team.

I don’t think everyone improved… I think several teams improved on paper and it would be hard for some teams like the Rockets and Spurs to be worse.

I also think of all the teams OKC and Utah have the most available to add talent during the season. I think we are more willing to do so… I get some of it I guess.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

I don’t think everyone improved… I think several teams improved on paper and it would be hard for some teams like the Rockets and Spurs to be worse.

I also think of all the teams OKC and Utah have the most available to add talent during the season. I think we are more willing to do so… I get some of it I guess.

Maybe I'm just brainwashed by Locke, but I do believe that the Jazz having a pretty strong 8 man rotation (10 if Keyonte/Dunn are actually good) will put them above a lot of teams. I still look at OKC's roster and am just utterly confused why people think they are ready to be a top 4 team.

 

[fishonjazz]

Tanking this season would mean that giving Lauri a gigantic long term deal wouldn't make any sense anymore. A move like that would push the contending window even farther into the future, effectively separating Markkanen's timeline from the team's. On his new contract, Lauri would be such an investment that keeping him on the roster while going through consecutive 26-56 seasons and waiting for the youngins to "develop" would be insane. Just a horrible waste of a major asset that's losing value each year as Lauri approaches 30.

If DA doesn't really believe in this iteration of the team (and I can't blame him if he doesn't), he should trade Lauri ASAP. At least that would be logical.

You can trade picks doe.
What if Luka is disgruntled and now we have a top pick this year to include in a trade for him?

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

Locke's pod today focused on defense, and I do agree that's probably the main factor for the Jazz. How good can that big front-court + THT be defensively?

The Locke On Hawks guy really loves Collins and says he's an underrated defender. Playing Dunn more mintues should help the defense/deflections.

Clarkson/Sexton are just utter trashcans defensively when it comes to deflections and just D in general. Both are incredible scorers, but it still feels like we are one good wing defender short.

 

[fishonjazz]

All those things are true in a vacuum. However, it's almost unheard of for a team to tank when they already have a healthy, in-their-prime NBA All Star on the roster. I mean... that's the situation you hope to get to by tanking (plus enduring several losing years after that).

If the only way you can "improve" your team is to waste the prime years of said All Star in order to bottom out, you're either doing something very wrong or have zero faith in the dude. And hey... maybe that's what we have here. To me it seems more and more likely that DA doesn't see Lauri as a true star, but more of a high-end role player who's destined to become a second or third banana in an ideal situation. That might even be the truth, who knows.

However, as I said in a previous post... going down the true tanking road with Lauri on the roster, possibly forced to sit out long stretches of games with a fake injury to lose enough, would be insane. Doing that just before you're supposed to renegotiate & extend the guy would be even crazier.

If the Jazz decide to tank, it has to be done without Lauri IMO. This is the major dilemma that already raised its head last season. Markkanen is just too good for a tanking team. He put a brave face on it when he was essentially made to watch his career season go down the drain in the hands of tank commander THT, but I don't think he'll go through that again and still want to resign here.

Maybe the reason we tank is BECAUSE lauri is hurt though.